Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
International

EU Again Delays Decision To Impose Visas For Canadians, Citing Progress

The Canadian Press, 14 Jul, 2016 12:32 PM
    OTTAWA — The European Commission has again pushed off a decision on whether to require Canadians to have a visa to enter the EU.
     
    The commission says it's now looking ahead to the Canada-EU summit this fall to see more progress on the issue of Canada removing visa restrictions on citizens of Romania and Bulgaria.
     
    The EU insists that since Canadians don't require visas to go to Europe, EU citizens should not need them to come to Canada.
     
    In April, the Commission urged the European Parliament and council to "take a position" on the issue by July 12 — but neither did.
     
    The commission notes that high-level political talks — including a visit last week by Canadian Immigration Minister John McCallum — have demonstrated progress, but they still want the issue resolved.
     
    Top EU interior affairs official Dimitris Avramopoulos says the commission will continue to apply pressure.
     
    "Achieving full visa waiver reciprocity for citizens of all member states is the objective for the European Commission and a fundamental principle of our common visa policy," he said in a statement Wednesday.
     
    To decide whether to lift visa requirements, the Canadian government looks at several factors including how many visa applications are refused as well as immigration violation rates.
     
    Officials from McCallum's department travelled to Romania last month to examine progress by that country and are making a similar trip to Bulgaria this month.
     
    Pressure to lift visas on those citizens is twofold.
     
    First, the Liberals recently announced they will lift visa requirements on Mexican nationals. And EU officials say if it can be done for Mexicans, it should be done for Europeans.
     
    Second, full ratification of the Canada-EU free trade agreement is at stake, with the possibility that Romania and Bulgaria will refuse to sign the deal if the visas remain.
     
     
    McCallum travelled to Brussels last week to smooth some ruffled diplomatic feathers on both counts.
     
    "Our dialogues underline the importance of the strong bonds between Canada and the European Union," McCallum and Avramopoulos said in a joint statement after the meeting.
     
    Officials from the immigration department have already travelled to Romania to assess issues on the ground there. They will be making a similar trip to Bulgaria this month.
     
    Canada and the EU are to hold a summit in Brussels this October.
     
    "The Commission looks forward to the EU-Canada Summit, which will take place on 27-28 October 2016, as the occasion to confirm tangible progress on the lifting of the visa requirement for Bulgarian and Romanian citizens," Wednesday's statement said. 

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Canadian Man Pleads Guilty To Making False Statements In U.S. Gun Purchases

    Canadian Man Pleads Guilty To Making False Statements In U.S. Gun Purchases
      The dealer, who alerted authorities, said Baffoe produced an American passport and an expired New Hampshire driver's licence when he asked if he was a state resident, an affidavit from federal agent John Cook says.

    Canadian Man Pleads Guilty To Making False Statements In U.S. Gun Purchases

    Nova Scotia Population Hits Record High, Thanks Mostly To Immigration

    Nova Scotia Population Hits Record High, Thanks Mostly To Immigration
    Statistics Canada released Thursday said the province's population has increased by about 4,900 people since April 2015, bringing its total population to about 947,000.

    Nova Scotia Population Hits Record High, Thanks Mostly To Immigration

    NDP MP Nathan Cullen Near Tears As He Pays Tribute To Slain British MP Jo Cox

    NDP MP Nathan Cullen Near Tears As He Pays Tribute To Slain British MP Jo Cox
    OTTAWA — MP Nathan Cullen teetered on the edge of tears as he paid tribute in the Commons today to a friend — slain British MP Jo Cox.

    NDP MP Nathan Cullen Near Tears As He Pays Tribute To Slain British MP Jo Cox

    Puerto Rico May See Hundreds Of Zika Birth Defects

    Puerto Rico May See Hundreds Of Zika Birth Defects
    Screening of blood donations in the island territory has indicated a rapid increase in the spread of the virus. Officials expect infections will increase through the summer.

    Puerto Rico May See Hundreds Of Zika Birth Defects

    Married Hindu Girl Forcibly Remarried By Jirga In Pakistan

    Married Hindu Girl Forcibly Remarried By Jirga In Pakistan
    Wadia Bai Meghwar and her cousin Suresh had contracted a marriage of their free will in a Karachi court on May 4, 2016. 

    Married Hindu Girl Forcibly Remarried By Jirga In Pakistan

    Yoga day to be held at Potters Fields Park in London

    The International Day of Yoga will be held at Potters Fields Park near Tower Bridge in London on June 19, a statement from Indian High Commission here said on Friday.

    Yoga day to be held at Potters Fields Park in London